Ella's Angels Part 6

Mom called, she had heard from an old friend who had told her a story she thought I might be interested in. It seems that her friend had contacted a family who owned and old house that originally belonged to her uncle. She was interested in seeing the house and maybe taking photos of it. The woman who owned the house, Ola Blackston was excited to hear from the woman. Much to her surprise Ola told her that her father, Durry Owings had saved her life when she was a child. Ola's mother worked for the Owings family. Ola was about 5 years old, she and her mother were in the yard working when they saw a rattle snake. Ola's mother got so scared, the snake was near Ola....she just kept telling her to be still and quite and she was praying for help over and over. Just about that time Mr. Durry drove up and shouted to her..." Is everything alright?" She told him no and then he saw the snake, hurried back to the truck and got his gun killed the snake. After everything quitened off, the mother asked Mr. Owings why he had come up just then. He said, "Why I heard you calling me." Ola said, "I was only five but I knew my mother had not said a word outloud after she told me to stay still and be quite and she didn't call out to Mr. Durry" Mom was right, I did like the story. It certainly gave you something to think about. If that wasn't intervention from the heavens, I don't know what could be. Since it was an answer to a prayer, I would definitely think angels or heavenly spirits. My analytical part whispered...they can make themself sound like someone you know...someone still alive. [based on a true story] I wondered if Ella's contact with Grandma Rootberry had some specific reason for happening. She had not mentioned any more encounters to me recently, but I had promised myself I would not overemphasize the encounters. Mom was eager to meet again for lunch and we set up a date. I told her I wasn't through with Grandma's journal but she said that was fine we could wait to exchange journals the next time.

Mixed Media

Prism of Fractals

Fun Show

Ella's Angels part 5

My neighbor Shari and I were talking about angels. Actually, she was quite insiteful, but I was very hesitant to believe all she said. I looked at a site online she told me about and decided it definitely was not for me. I sunk with a little fear that if Ella was different that she might one day be mixed up with the kind of things suggested at that site. Some of it did not look so good to me. I guess I really didn't understand most of what they were talking about. It seemed rather strange to my Christian upbringing. I kept hoping deep inside that whatever was happening to Ella was part of a natural process perhaps just of communication with .... yes, I could say it, family members who had already passed beyond the veil of this life through death. Besides, I fully believed that God protected little children and they remained innocent, unless we taught them otherwise, until they were older. Ella did not seem upset or troubled. I decided to stay pretty much on a beginning course at least to the reports of angels found in the Bible at the moment. What part did they play in the course of events?

I can't believe the clock is going off so early. It was a long night. This was just one of many nights that I had fallen asleep reading grandma's journal. I was fortunate enough to have the first one. I had just been glued to it since I brought it home last week. There were many interesting things in the journal. It helped me understand grandma and our family a little better. Grandma was a very spiritual and sensitive person and she recorded her feelings about things as well as the details of the event. I did not realize the depts of the tragedies that she endured. She remained a widow of forty something years until her death. I had a lot of questions for my Mom. Shortly after grandfather's death, she reports that she knew he came in the night and visited their home. He was apparently just checking on things for he did not try to communicate. But that same night, Mom reported waking up and seeing him standing at the foot of her bed. Certainly something she had never shared with us. Also, I had looked up angels on the internet and sent for a book that I thought looked interesting. Not much to record in my journal that Mother insisted I keep....just reading. I had not bothered Ella very much, I did not want to put too much emphasis on her spiratual experiences. I preferred to call them that rather than placing any sort of mental stigmatism on her. I knew that if they continued I would have to make some sort of decision on what I would do and if I would seek professional counseling for her...but not today. Today, I would start my study of the stories of angels found in the Bible. Christianity, at least, certainly did believe that angels exists.

Ella's Angels Part 3

It is not always easy to arrange a lunch date for three busy people. Mom insisted that we meet at her house for a long lunch. She always was such a great hostess and cook. After our normal southern chit chat about everyone's business. I explained the circumstance underwhich I called this emergency luncheon. I related the events as detailed as I could remember. For some reason I had never shared with them the feelings I had about Ella's early childhood. I guess it didn't seem that important to me. The reaction I got wasn't exactly what I had expected. Mom was unusually quiet, something she rarely is. But Kate was more intense in her response....first she said "She's haulisanating and hearing voices"....then "maybe she just has an imaginary friend which is common to many children". I definitely was not convinced about the immaginary friend. Grandma was not immaginary. If she was just haulisanating, how did she identify her from an album of many people? Kate couldn't answer this. I wanted to know if either of them had talked to her about Grandma or showed her photographs. Kate said no. Mom, gradually pulling out of her silence, said she had a photograph of Grandma on her dresser but didn't recall ever mentioning it to Ella nor telling her about our pet name for her...Rootberry. We called her that because she always had rootbeer drinks and vinalla ice cream for us to make floats. She didn't want us to say rootbeer because she shunned any mention of alcoholic beverages, so it became rootberry floats and she bacame Grandma Rootberry. The silence was long enough to become uncomfortable. Mom finally broke the silence and simply said, "Ginny, I have some of Grandma's old journals. I think you should read them. Would you like for me to get them?" I was stunned, Grandma kept a journal. "I never knew Granma kept a journal." "Yes, I think I would like to read them." Kate also wanted to look at them. Mother soon returned with 3 volumes. Kate took one and I took the other two. We decided we should meet again after we had all read the journals. I gave Mom one of my two since she said it had been a long time since she had looked at them. We talked a few minutes about dreams and considered the possibility that Ella had just had a very vivid dream. I had not thought to ask her about dreams but I was pretty sure she wasn't just dreaming. Vivid dreams might be a valid answer. We parted with a sincere determination to try to find why or how this was happening. As I left Mom also suggested that I study angels from the topical guide of the scriptures and note their characteristics. Angels? Ella didn't mention any halos or wings. But mom was quite insistent and also told me to keep a deatiled journal. I agreed.

Ella's Angels part 2

Up late, the morning was rushed. Hurry, get breakfast, make lunches........ "Ella, get your shoes and bring them to me so I can put them on." "Yes, mommy" Into the kitchen she flutters like a little bird, shoes all on and tied. Tied! She can't tie her own shoes, she's much too little. I haven't even tried to teach her yet. "Ella! How did you get your shoes tied? Is daddy still here?" "No, mommy, Grandma Rootberry showed me how to tie them." I did not know what to say. Grandma Rootberry was the pet name we used to call my grandmother. Ella could not possibly have known this. "Ella, who did you say it was?" "Grandma Rootberry." "Ella, you did a very good job. If I untie your shoes will you tie them again for me?" "Yes" the steady reply came. We untied the shoes and right in front of me she tied them perfectly and what is more she tied them the same way I used to tie my shoes. I was startled. "Ella, will you look at a book for mama and show me Grandma Rootberry?" "Yes, mommy." We went into the living room and I pulled out the old family album. I told her I would turn the pages and if she saw Grandma Rootberry she could point to her. She identified her. I could just say "how?" "Ella, we will look again at the pictures later." I could not explain it to myself right now. I tried to think if I had been tying my shoes in front of her. But, that didn't explain the identification. I left that day puzzled, with lots to think about. How did she know her name? Grandma had died years before Ella was born. Had someone used that name in front of her? I didn't think so. I would ask my husband and my sister and my mother.

Ella's Angels

Ella was such a special. I knew from the minute she was born that she would be different. She seemed so alive and ready for life but still lingering a little in the world she came from. It was almost like a light was shinning from her. As she grew I would watch her carefully from a distance. She would spend longer and longer times in her crib laughing, cooing and talking to someone. But no one was there that I could see. When you walked in a room with her she suddenly would kick, grin, wave her arms and look like she reconized someone. Someone she knew well. But no one was there that I could see. As she grew older and learned to talk she told us many remarkable stories. Stories about people I knew she had never known. She also said other things that bothered me just a little. Ella said, "Did you call me , Mommy?" "No, dear. Did someone call your name?" "Yes, mother. It sounded a lot like you." I looked about, but, there was no one there that I could see. Who was calling her name?

When life comes at you soft and subtle.

It doesn't take much effort to recognize the hard spots, but the soft ones likely have much more impact and we sometimes do not even recognize them. Yesterday, I was looking at the springs from my back yard. The sun was filtering through the trees perfectly. There was much contrast in the light greens and shadows. It was simply gorgeous. I wondered about the people who are enjoying deep white snows right now and I feel fortunate to have a winter scene that looks so much like spring. Perhaps one day I will learn to appreciate the beauty of the snow. The beauty of the moment was so precious. A quiet bit of joy that just crept right up on me. I am thankful that I have eyes to enjoy the beauty God has placed here for us to feast on and wish that I could share it with someone who cannot see. Colors affet me to the very core and quiet affects me even more. I am thankful to know that if there is something that we miss out on life here, that at some point in eternity 'the law of compensation' tells us that God will grant it to us 100 fold. That makes seeing the suffering and missed opportunities for some in this life a little more bearable and helps me feel unfiltered joy at the great blessings that I enjoy.